All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018)

‘Tis the season to get some scares with this anthology from the duo of David Ian McKendry and Rebekah McKendry.

Max and Jenna are singles who go on a date on Christmas Eve. They have tickets to see a show called “All the Creatures Were Stirring”. The couple go into the theater, where a mysterious lady reveals the title of the show where three stage actors perform their interpretation. However, what we see is completely different as the stories are translated into short films.

First, an office Christmas party goes awry when the white elephant game turns deadly thanks to a disgruntled worker. Then, a last-minute store shopper gets more than what he bargains for when he accidentally locks his keys and phone in his car. Next, in a modern-day twist to the classic tale, an unhappy man who hates Christmas finds his comeuppance in the form of three ghosts. A man on his way homes makes a major mistake when he hits a deer and is forced to kill it. Finally, a man’s girlfriend gets a startling discovery as to why her boyfriend refuses to spend Christmas with anyone.

From the husband and wife team of David Ian McKendry and Rebekah McKendry comes this tale that follows a series of stories done a la Creepshow with a Christmas-themed horror and sci-fi buffet that goes from the insanity to ending on a high note. In a more interesting move, there is some reactions and a bit of a plot involving our central couple, Max and Jenna, played by Graham Skipper and Ashley Clements, the latter who keeps getting noticed by a creepy member of the audience.

The stories themselves feature an ensemble cast of characters which slowly start out with an office Christmas party that becomes deadly when the “white elephant” or “Dirty Santa” gifts are rigged, causing a combination of instant death and paranoia amongst the workers in the office. The second story involves a last-minute shopper and some sort of prophecy involving those born on Christmas day. This is followed by a hilarious modern day Christmas Carol with Jonathan Kite going over the top as Chet, who has an amped up edition of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Then, comes a very grim ghost tale unlike any other when a man hits a deer on his way home and is forced to kill him as he gets ready for an unforgettable night.

They saved the best for last with Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu as a girlfriend who doesn’t understand why her boyfriend will not celebrate the holiday. However, what makes this stand out among the others is that the story looks to start in one direction but then throws a very good curveball when it takes a different director than expected but unlike some of the other stories depicted, ends on a high note.

All the Creatures Were Stirring is a nice set of stories wrapped with a lovely bow in the form of the couple on their date, all filled with some fun performances throughout the stories.